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We've barely dug ourselves out from beneath the pile of new diet books that arrived to kick off the year, and already the "get in shape for summer" diet books are filling our mailboxes. That raises the question: If any of these diets actually worked, why would we need more? That's because fad diets aren't going away any time soon. They're just too appealing, said Dr. Lawrence J. Cheskin of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the school's Weight Management Center. And sometimes, they even do work. But that's no endorsement, he cautions. Cheskin said that, by definition, fad diets are those that have not been...

Related "Diets and Dieting" Articles

We've barely dug ourselves out from beneath the pile of new diet books that arrived to kick off the year, and already the "get in shape for summer" diet books are filling our mailboxes.
That raises the question: If any of these diets actually...

At long last, a group of respected physicians and obesity researchers has stepped forward to challenge the facile bromide that America's weight issues can be easily fixed by diet and exercise.
Take note, glib-talking doctors and legislators, rail-thin...

If you’re trying to lose weight, you could count your calories, keep track of precisely how much salt and sugar your eat, and make sure you hit certain targets for protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol and the various types of fat. Or you could set all of...

"Mom, this is a horrible idea." So my college student son declared when he learned I had started a three-day juice cleanse, 72 hours of a juice diet. Six bottles each day, plus water and herbal tea. No solid food.
Go ahead. Make fun of me. Call...

Being a vegan would be relatively easy if I just had a talented personal chef. Short of that, a budget for eating out all the time would work too.
Since I decided to eat a vegan diet for the month of January, I’ve eaten in some places I had not tried...

Kids love pizza, but a new study shows that it doesn’t love them back.
On days when children eat pizza, they consume an average of 408 additional calories, three additional grams of fat and 134 additional milligrams of salt compared with their regular...

Former President Bill Clinton, whose voracious appetite was legendary, went vegan in 2010 to protect his health after heart surgery. And while cutting out animal products is no guarantee of a healthful diet, research shows eating plant-based foods...

Evidence that vegetables – the more the merrier – are good for you is legion. And here’s more: Researchers who analyzed studies of people put on vegetarian or vegan diets found that they lost more than seven pounds regardless of calorie counting or...

You probably know someone who lives on doughnuts but never seems to gain weight. While others just glance at a bagel and pack on the pounds.
That's just proof that we all have different nutritional demands and deficits, said Traci D. Mitchell, author...

A man in The Times cafeteria the other day bought sliced turkey, white rice, a slice of white bread with butter and a Diet Coke. I realize it wasn't a vegan lunch, but it provides a lesson in how to create a healthful meal: color.
I spent the month of...

On Sunday, four days into my monthlong vegan diet, I went to dinner with dear friends – 10 people who’d planned for many weeks to share a Chinese seafood feast.
Could I make an exception (a.k.a. cheat)? my son asked. I cannot say that wasn’t tempting....

Fast food has gotten a little better for you over the last 18 years -- except in cases where it’s gotten worse.
Among 27 menu items subjected to scrutiny by Tufts University researchers, eight of the offerings contained fewer calories in 2013 than in...

Low fat? Low carb? Vegan? Crash diets? Diet soda? Exercise? What’s the most effective way to lose weight? Here’s a look at what 2014’s weight loss studies showed us, including one cautionary tale for all dieters.
The diet battle of the year
What’s...

Despite the popularity of such grain-eschewing diets as the Paleo and the gluten-free craze, a new study has found that people who eat a whole grain-rich diet live longer.
In fact, eating more whole grains may decrease people’s risk of death by up to...

Why, when the calendar turns to a new year and we proclaim our most virtuous intentions to eat right and lose some weight, do we so often fail? A new study finds that come January, our resolve to eat healthfully may run headlong into a runaway train of...

If obesity is linked to Americans' 24/7 lifestyles, would it help to reset the clock that dictates our eating? A new study of mice suggests it would, and in ways that go well beyond weight alone.
Even with a diet high in fat and sugar, mice that had...

Over the next 35 years or so, the populations of the world's wealthiest nations are expected to be joined at the banquet table by the growing populations of countries undergoing rapid development.
If past patterns dictate the menu, the serving staff will...

When it comes to dieting, the conventional wisdom holds that losing weight gradually is more sustainable in the long run than losing weight quickly. But new results from a long-term clinical trial show that this is just another dieting myth.
Both...

What could be more wholesome for students than a bag lunch packed at home? A lunch from the school cafeteria.
Researchers found that the typical lunch brought from home contained far fewer vegetables, fruit and whole grains than federal nutrition...

Conservative radio and TV commentator Sean Hannity, 52, known for telling government to cut the fat, has recently cut his own. In the last 18 months, the longtime Fox News host of "Hannity" shed 27 pounds and has achieved what he says is the...